The family of Christopher Marian, who died in his sleep on May 15 at the age of 28, has chosen to remember him with an endowed scholarship in his name. The $2,000 scholarship will go to a San Jose State University School of Journalism and Mass Communication student each year. Marian’s family signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tower Foundation to create the Chris Marian Journalism Scholarship on Oct. 29.

Marian worked on the Spartan Daily for four semesters while attending SJSU, as a staff writer, copy editor and most recently as the opinion editor. He wrote a column entitled “Nuke the Whales.” His sister Alicia Marian described her brother as “very intelligent, kind, articulate, witty and funny with a ‘sardonic, sarcastic slant’” in a press release from the signing ceremony.

As a child, Marian was interested in military and aviation history. He started flight lessons as an eighth-grade student and originally pursued an aviation degree at SJSU. He was part of the university’s Precision Flight Team from 2003 to 2005. He studied off and on at SJSU from 2003 on, switching to journalism.

“Chris was one of our excellent senior editors on Access who kept the grammar coordinated with the writing intent,” said Tim Mitchell, a journalism design professor, in a press release about the scholarship. “If Chris was a Western gunslinger, he would have been the fastest draw with an AP Style Guide in his holster.”